Fallen Hero
by slytherinrulesme
Summary: A look at a person's life through the eyes of another. This is unbeta-ed so all mistakes are mine


"We have one more speaker paying tribute to our fallen heroes. Mr. Harry Potter, savior of the Wizarding World and defeater of Voldemort"

The green eyed young man shot a glare at the man as he approached the podium in front of everyone. He had told everyone he could that he was not alone in defeating the bastard that had wreaked havoc on the Wizarding World for so long. Many people lost loved ones and sacrificed their lives to help in getting rid of the evil that was once Tom Riddle. Harry despised when people gave sole credit to him alone.

"Thank you, Minister. But, as I have said many times, I was not alone in destroying Voldemort. That is why we have all come together on this day. To honor ALL those that had to sacrifice in the fight against evil. Not all had to lose their own lives; but lost dear loved ones. Such as my very good friend and fellow Gryffindor, Neville Longbottom. He was raised by his Grandmother, never truly knowing his parents as they were "lost"on the same day I lost mine. And the Weasley family, they lost one of their children. Something that no parent should ever have to experience. There are many many more families all over that have suffered the same or worse. Also, there are some that suffered less.

But first, I want to tell you about a man that not many knew. This man had a heart of gold. He was very hesitant to show that heart as he had it broken many times. As a child, this man loved his mother very dearly. The way most little boys do. She often held him and sang to him. She read him stories every night before tucking him into bed with a gentle kiss to his forehead with a 'sleep well my angel. I love you and will for all time' before she turned and left the room to face the evil that was her husband.

You see, the boys father was non magical and hated everything that was because it was only after they married and she was with child did he find out the woman he loved was a witch. His father felt betrayed by her keeping it from him. He hated his wife. Yet he also loved her with all his heart. This fact angered him to an extreme that you could not understand unless you felt it. In his anger, he turned violent towards that which he treasured most. The man became cruel to a gut wrenching degree. He would beat his wife for the smallest of transgressions. His and hers. And when the boy started showing signs of being magical himself, he payed as well. His mother hid what she could of the boys magic and the father pretended not to notice. But she knew, and she could stop him. If she hadn't felt that she deserved it for her deception. But the child was not to blame for what he was. He had no control over what had happened before he was born. This is why every night she made sure the boy knew he was loved and cherished by her. It is also why she said good bye, in her own way, every night as she left her dearest one to face the man.

After receiving his Hogwarts letter at the age of 11, the boy was ecstatic that he would be going away from his father for most of the year. He was also heartbroken that his mother would have to stay. She would always see him off proper to school every year and before and after holidays. He would have to make his own way home for the summer break as she was always too sore and weak from the beatings she would get from his father because he was coming back. Then, one Christmas break, she wasn't there to greet him. When he made his way home, his father told him that she had died from some sickness or another, and was buried. And that he would not be going back to his school. The boy was completely devastated by what he had just been told about his mother that he didn't even register what was said about his school. Two days before he was to return, he asked his father how they would be going to the station since his mother usually took him. He received a smack for the answer and was then beaten severely. He was then locked in the house and not even allowed to answer the door.

One day, not too long before his birthday, there was a rather insistant knocking at the door. His father looked outside to see who it was, paled and turned to him. He told him that he was to say he wanted to stay at home and not go back to school. The boy nodded.

His eyes grew wide as his father opened the door and there stood his transfiguration professor. The man who normally had bright blue twinkling eyes, had worry in them now. He introduced himself to the boys father and asked why he had not returned to school after the holiday. His father then explained that he lost his wife just before the boy had come home and that the boy had chosen to stay. The professor then turned to the boy and asked him. He nodded while looking the other in the eye. While doing so, he felt a strange push in his mind. What we all know to be Legilimency. Whatever the professor saw infuriated him. He smiled at the boy and then turned to his father with a malicious look in his eye. The man froze as the wizard approached him. They stared in each other's eyes for several minutes before the boy heard his professor gasp then grab his father by the throat. As his father turned blue he heard the professor tell him that the boy would be at school from now on except for during the summers. Including all holidays. The boy couldn't help the smile that crept across his lips. However, when he saw his father's eyes bug out and his skin start to turn blue, he cautiously approached his professor and asked him to let his father go. He was all the family he had. Reluctantly, the professor did and then turned to the boy, with a smile and twinkling eyes, and told him to go and gather his things. They were going back to Hogwarts. Before they left, the professor told the boy's father 'one day, the boy will know. Just not now. It will devastate him further. He will be old enough to handle it and decide what he wishes to do about it' and then they apparated out of the house.

Through the years, he spent much of his time with that professor and he became a father figure to the boy. And the professor grew to love him as he would if he were his own child. The professor would console him when people teased and ridiculed him. He would be the one to give encouragement to fulfill dreams. He would be the father the boy never had and he would love him as such.

Once the boy came of age, he would make a series of bad decisions. The professor still loved him in spite of it. They remained close. One day, that bad decision turned back on him. He lost the one he loves more than anything. From that day forth, the boy would work towards penance for what he had done. He had very nearly found his peace when the same professor approached him and informed him that he was dying and to save face in the boy's spying, he wanted him to kill him in front of witnesses. This mortified the boy. How would he be able to do something so heinous? Simple, to save not one but two lives he valued over all others.

Let's go back a few years to another boy. Very much in the same situation as the first. Only, this boy's parent's were murdered by a madman when he was but a baby. This boy was sent to live with his mother's non-magical sister and her family. And much like the first boy's father; hated magic. They tried to beat the freakishness out of him. They locked him a cupboard under the stairs and only let him out to cook and do chores. Things that in this world, house elves were left to do. He never knew he was a wizard. He was picked on by almost all who knew him. He spent his younger years frightened of what he was because of all the strange things that kept happening to him.

Once he found out about the wizarding world and where he stood in it, he sought to learn all he could about it. When he began his first year, he was told that all dark wizards had come from Slytherin. So he begged the sorting hat not to put him in it. Even though the hat told him he would go far in that house. Hence, the boy was put in Gryffindor and more troubles ensued.

From the first day, the professor appeared to hate the second boy. All through his years here at Hogwarts, that little boy, now a young man, had many many detentions and appeared to stay in trouble with the man. What no one knew, even the boys closest friends, was the two were very close like father and son. Their many detentions, at first, were spent talking and getting to know one another. Then, they were spent with the man telling the boy about his mother. How smart and sweet she was. How she always saw good in a person no matter what others said. She would wait and use her own mind to pass any judgment. How she was just all around a beautifully fantastic woman. Yes, the man was very much in love with the boys mother. The were unable to stay friends publicly after school for the man feared evil and terrible things would befall her is they did. He comforted the boy when he was upset or just had a bad day. He held him as he cried for what he never had. He mentored him in dueling and his school. The man protected the boy with everything he had and was. Often times, the two were joined by the professor's mentor as well.

Now, I would like to share a few memories with everyone with the assistance of a new invention of the Weasley twins. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. Will everyone please focus on the screen behind me. This is a type of Pensieve and works very much like the Muggle projectors. The memories are put in and then projected up onto the screen."

The young man also turned to gaze upon the screen that would show everyone in attendance some of his most precious memories.

First, a young boy hesitantly knocked on a door in the dungeons. He heard the 'come' and entered.

"Well, Mr. Potter, at least you can tell time accurately. Now, you will be writing lines. Without the use of magic. I will be closely monitoring you to make sure you do not cheat. Like your father did all through school. Take out parchment so I may ensure that you are well and properly prepared. And do not think your fame will get you leniency in MY class." The professor's sneer matched the vicious tone of his voice.

"Yes Sir" The boy said sheepishly as he bent over to retrieve his necessary supplies. As he pulled out the stack of parchment and placed it on the table, the dour man quickly snatched up the top one and read what was scratched on it. His face minutely showed signs of astonishment as he read the very words he spoke during every first potions class.

"What is the meaning of this?" The man snarled at the young boy in front of him as he waved the parchment at him.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I only wanted to do good in your class. I was taking notes on what you were saying to help me prepare for what was gonna happen."

The potions master stood speechless for a moment while the information sunk in. A first year wanted to do well in his class and was taking notes. And the Boy-who-lived no less. This had to be some kind of joke.

"Is that so? Why would you, of all people, WANT to do well in MY class? What kind of prank is this? Your father was very well known for his pranks on unsuspecting people he thought beneath him. You are just like your father." Severus Snape had gotten within an inch of the boy's face during his rant. This caused a very young Harry Potter to uncontrollably flinch away from the intimidating man before him. An act which gave the man pause for thought as to why the spoiled brat offspring of Potter would act in such a way.

"Pathetic." The man said as he turned away and started towards his desk.

"What have I done to make you hate me so much? What have I done to make everyone else worship me the way they do? I've spent my whole life being locked away in a cupboard under the stairs in my relatives house only let out to do chores that are nearly impossible to do. Until a bunch of owls tried to bring me a letter telling me I'm a wizard. And then I find out, not only a wizard but the savior of this world for killing off an evil wizard. Which, by the way, I don't remember ever having done. We have never met before today and yet you hate me with a passion as if it has been years brewing. So, Professor, please tell me, what have I done to make you hate me so much?" The boy pleaded with the man.

Snape turned to face Harry with a very disgusted look on his face. "You were born" was the simple but nasty reply.

"I wish I hadn't been. Not if it means all this. Living the way I have with no parents and in the house of people that hate me." Was barely whispered. Startling the man.

"I am inclined not to believe the nonsense you have said about where you live. Everyone knows that 'the Boy who lived' was whisked away on the night his parents died to live with reclusive relatives to be pampered and prepared for his return to the wizarding world"

"Is that really what you think? Do I LOOK like I have been pampered? Do I act like I know anything about this world?" Harry was starting to get angry. "If there was some way to prove to you that I am telling the truth, I would gladly do it" He was yelling by the time he finished.

"Why?"

"Excuse me?" Harry was perplexed by the question.

"Why are you so insistent that I believe what you are telling me?" The man asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

Harry opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he found his resolve. "I don't know. There is something about you that makes me trust you. I'm not sure why or what. But it is there."

Severus stood with his mouth gaping in a very un-Snapelike manner. After a few seconds, he regained his senses and very quietly said, "Your mother said those same words to me while we were in school."

It was Harry's turn to stand gaping. Snape had known his mother. And it seems that she liked him. At least a little. He was snapped from his revelry by the man's voice. Slightly louder than before.

"There is a way to prove it. It is not customary to perform this spell on any person without their consent. Especially a child. But, circumstances being what they are, I won't tell if you don't" The man gave Harry a small smile. Which he gratefully returned.

"I don't know much about magic but I will do anything to prove this to you."

"All you have to do is think about your home-life"

The two were staring at each other for several minutes before Snape looked away briefly.

"It seems that I owe you an apology. I had no idea the Headmaster placed you with your mother's sister. She has always disliked anything that didn't fit into her ideal of normal."

"You really knew my mother? Can you tell me about her?"

Severus Snape smiled as big and bright as anyone had ever seen as he sat down and started animatedly talking to the young man about his favorite subject.

The screen then shimmered and showed Harry lying in a bed in the hospital wing. A very concerned Snape looking at the sleeping form of the young man with his arm in a sling.

When the screen changed again, the two were joined by another, scarred and haggard looking man. The three were laughing and appeared to be having a very good visit. For several minutes, different situations flashed across the screen showing arguments followed by hugs; tutoring lessons; chess games and just talking and laughing. Many also included Albus Dumbledore.

Then, Snape was in Dumbledore's office and both men seemed tense.

"You are the Headmaster. Stop this from happening! He is just a boy. How did his name even get in the cup to begin with? Were the proper precautions not taken to protect him from such things?" Snape's voice was full of venom as he questioned Dumbledore.

"Of course they were. Someone, here, now, at the school wants Harry to be in the tournament. The Ministry has decided to let it stand that there are four champions. I can do nothing to stop it. All we can do now is make sure he survives." Was the gentle reply.

"My apologies Albus. I just don't know what I would do if anything were to happen to him. I love him like he were my own." Severus humbly stated.

"As do I, Severus. As do I"

Once again, various situations crossed the screen. When it came into focus again, everyone could see the same classroom with the same two raven haired males sitting comfortably and talking. However, the topic must have been an unwelcomed one. Judging by the looks on their faces.

"So, because Voldemort is really back, you have to act like you hate me even more and we won't have as much time to spend together since you will be going to meetings?" Harry was asking.

"Yes. I already feel bad for the way that I must treat you in public. Now, having to be away and not knowing if I will return from any of the meetings..." Severus turned his head to hide his tears.

Harry stood up and embraced the man who returned the gesture. They stood like that for several minutes before breaking apart and returning to their seats.

"At least Albus having you teach me Occlumency, that I already know, will give us a little more time" Harry said with a grin.

"Indeed. Especially since you are not making any progress. I do hate deceiving him though."

The two smiled at each other and more scenes played out. Each one showing the love the two had for one another. Severus comforting Harry after Sirius falling through the veil seemed to go in slow motion.

The next scene was the one everyone had already known about with Albus ensuring that Severus would kill him if the time came for Draco to do it, and him swearing a wizard oath to make certain he couldn't back out. Quickly it switched to a very distraught Severus sobbing while talking to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office.

"Severus, you must have faith in him. He is the only one that can end it all. It saddens me almost as much as you that he must die in order to accomplish this goal. I left enough clues that he will figure that out before the time comes for him to face Tom. But, face him he must. We have always done all we could to make him understand how much he means to us. It cannot be helped."

"Albus, I hate you for not informing me before. I hate you for being the way that you are with your meddlesome ways always interfering because you think it is for 'the greater good'. He is so young and you have placed all this responsibility on his shoulders. I will do everything in my power NOT to lose him. I hate you so much I wish to resurrect you just so I can kill you all over again." Severus said through clenched teeth before collapsing against the very same portrait, seeking what little comfort he could.

"I love you as well, my son."

The memories went flying by: Severus covertly helping the students while the Carrows tortured them. Secretly meeting with various students of the rebellion, giving whatever advice he could. Even more secret letters sent between him and Harry. Severus seeing Hermione while on watch right where Harry said they would be and then tossing the sword of Gryffindor into the water and sending his patronus to Harry. Severus worried when Harry went in the water and did not come immediately back up. The relief flooding through him as he saw Weasley dive in and pull him out.

The speaker noticed almost everyone there was crying or had been when the memory of Voldemort's confrontation with Severus where he placed Nagini in a bubble and then placed it over the Potions Master's head, her giving the fatal bite that would deliver the poison that would kill him. Voldemort taking his snake away and Severus muttering his apologies to Albus, Lily and Harry.

Harry finding Severus almost dead, running to him and throwing himself onto the man trying to stop the blood flow.

"Harry, you... must...t-take them...a-a-allll. Sh-show e-e-evronnne." The dark man managed to rasp out at the boy.

"No! You can show them yourself. Please don't leave me. I love you dad." Harry was crying like a baby into the other's robes with the man's hand resting on his head.

"H-harry, y-you must. F-ffor me. I l-love you, m-mmmy sssson." Harry looked up when he felt the hand fall. He noticed several silvery tears that he knew to be the memories they had discussed before. He quickly gathered them in a vial he found in Severus' pocket.

Finally, Severus was standing looking at himself in a mirror

"Harry, If you are seeing this then what I feared may happened has come to pass. You are a very strong willed, rule-breaking, trouble finding insufferable brat. And I love you all the more for it. As you know, when you started Hogwarts, and before, I always believed you to be just like your father. However, after that first confrontation where you asked 'why I hate you' I realized you were not. James never would have cared the 'why'. That is when I decided to give you a chance to prove to me that you were just as much Lily's as you were James'. And that is exactly what you did.

You never knew that every summer I would beg Albus to let you stay here at the castle. I tried negotiating all sorts of terms to get him to agree. Unfortunately, the strong blood wards would not renew if you were not there for at least a couple weeks. And they could not be transferred. Before you ask, I was more than willing to give up my reprieve from this place if it meant you would be here with me.

You can never know the great sorrow and pain it caused me to treat you the way that I had to in order to save face in front of everyone. Just to keep my standing in the Dark Lord's inner circle. Albus always knew he would return and begged me to remain as I always was as to not put my life in danger. If he believed it, that was good enough for me. And when Moldie Shorts, as you so affectionatly called him, returned, my place was secured. I have always regretted the things that I have done and had to witness but because Albus asked it, I endured it. You know what he did for me when I was a student here. I love the man like he was my own father. Doing what I did, I did out of my love for him as I couldn't bear to continue to see him suffer as he was. That and he asked me to spare Draco the life long burden of becoming a murderer. He always knew you were loved enough by those around you that you could handle it, but not Draco. I could not bear it as he was slowly, painfully dying right before my eyes. Something I know you would do for me if it ever came to it.

All my life I have only ever loved four people. My mother, whom was taken from me while I was young. Not as young as you were when you lost yours. Albus, the man that saved me from the abuse and never treated me any different once he found out and loved me like he spawned me himself. Lily, your mother. She always believed in me and saw the good in me that no one else wanted to. All my life, it has only been her that I have loved like that. And, of course, you my Harry. I couldn't stand you when I first met you. But you have your mother's stubborn defiance. You had to prove to me that you were not your father even after I conceded the fact. I never told you this, but during the Triwizard, Albus actually stated that you were becoming more and more like your dad. I never really understood what he meant until you accidentally said it to me when I had returned from a meeting. One of the bad ones. I'm not even certain you knew you had even said it. Hearing you say it to me made my heart swell like it never had before. To know that there was a person, especially you, that thought of me in such a way...there are simply no words to express the feeling. I had love you as if you were my own for quite some time before then. Knowing that you felt the same as I, it gave me so much that my life had been lacking for so long. Right now, at this moment, I don't think that I could love you any more had you sprung from my loins. You are all I could have ever hoped for in a son. And so much more. Your parents would be very proud of the man you have become. I know that I am. I love you my son. Live a long and happy life. Knowing how you feel about Ginerva, you will be blessed with many children of shockingly red hair."

The memory faded as Severus wiped his face of the tears that had been streaming down his cheeks through his speech.

"There is so much more that could be said about Severus Snape. I know that there are those that will choose to believe that he falsified most of these memories. Trust me when I say, you can tell when that has happened. Besides, most of these are mine. There are still those that wish to condemn him for being a 'vile, filthy Death Eater', you are entitled to your own opinions. However, I will always remember him as a warm, kind loving father that did what he had to do to keep his son safe so that said son could free our world from a power that sought to destroy it and it's inhabitants. Even if that son was sired by his worst enemy.

May you finally rest in peace. I love you Severus Tobias Snape, my dad"

Harry then turned and walked over to the tomb and with a wave of his wand words appeared engraved into the top. Everyone that read the words could not help the tears that fell from their eyes.

And to this day, the silver engraving blazes bright in the black marble for all those to come to know that:

Here lies the true Savior of the Wizarding World.

He sacrificed everything, including his life for those that would hate and condemn him.

Beloved friend of Lily Evans

Loving father of Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived

Severus Tobias Snape

January 1960-May 1998

Fallen hero


End file.
